Starbucks Orders Content Around The World For New Branding Campaign

Clutch your macchiato tightly and prepare yourself for one of the coolest ads of the year. And that’s not the caffeine writing.

Starbucks, a corporation hardly lacking in consumer awareness, recently tabbed ad agency extraordinaire 72andSunny to create the company’s first global brand campaign. Titled “Meet Me at Starbucks,” the campaign focuses on individuals around the world and their personal, everyday experiences whilst visiting the gargantuan purveyor of so-so brew.

The ad — a mini-documentary, if you will — was shot in 59 different stores in 28 countries using 39 local filmmakers and 10 local photographers. Even cooler: 220 hours of footage was recorded within the same 24-hour period. The result is a gorgeous and engaging manifesto that will inspire you to speak Italian when ordering anything in life. (“Make my Surly Furious a grande, please!”)

What’s really cool about the ad, though, is a built-in interactive element that enables YouTube viewers to watch mini-documentaries within the mini-documentary featuring human subjects from the ad. Think: bonus scenes while watching the main feature. (The only downer here, however, is you must visit the Starbucks brand page on YouTube for the full experience.)

Say what you will about Starbucks and a mass-produced customer experience, but for me, this branding campaign is all about accessibility. Starbucks wants to be every consumer’s breakfast table, a place we may feel at home. Amazing stories can be told simply by pointing the camera and hitting record. Of course, a venti budget helps!

What do you think of the new Starbucks branding campaign — an undisputed triumph or Big Coffee trying a little too hard?